Continuing with parables

1. The Parable of the Sword and the Shield

A young warrior came to an old master.
- Teacher, - he said, - I have mastered all the sword strikes. I can hit any target. Tell me, how can I become invincible?
The old master silently took a shield and stood in a defensive stance.
- Attack me, - he said.

The warrior struck, which the master parried. Another strike - and again the shield absorbed the force. After a dozen fruitless attacks, the warrior was exhausted.
- I cannot defeat you! - he admitted.
- Now you understand, - said the master. - The sword is your rage, your desire for revenge or to prove your rightness. It drains you and wounds others. The shield is your ability to stop evil without causing new harm. Invincible is not the one who can defeat everyone, but the one who cannot be defeated because he does not rush into battle. His strength lies in defense.

Moral: True strength is not in attacking, but in the ability to protect, preserving your principles and not exhausting yourself. The goal is to stop harm, not to destroy the offender.

2. The Parable of the Broken Chariot

A nobleman's chariot broke down on a busy road. He stood in the middle of the path and began loudly yelling at his driver, demanding immediate repairs, blocking traffic.
An old peasant with a cart approached.
- Sir, - he said, - your anger will not fix the axle. You are hindering everyone. Move your chariot to the roadside, give way to others. Find a carpenter in that village you see over there. And I will share my bread with you while you wait.

The nobleman was initially outraged, but then he listened. Within an hour, the chariot was repaired, and he went on his way, not making enemies among those he delayed.

Moral: Subsidiarity. Solve your problem at the level where it arose, and in a way that does not exacerbate it for others. Do not expect someone from above to come and fix everything; take initiative, but do not hinder others with your inaction.

3. The Parable of the Loud Echo

A man got lost in a canyon. He shouted: "Hey!" And the echo answered him: "Hey!"
He thought someone was mocking him and shouted: "Coward! Show yourself!" And the echo replied: "Coward! Show yourself!"
He got angry and started shouting insults. The echo returned the same angry words, amplified a hundredfold.

The man sat on a rock in complete exhaustion and despair. Then he quietly, almost in a whisper, said: "Sorry..."
And the echo replied: "Sorry..."
Overjoyed, he shouted: "Help me!" And the echo replied: "Help me!"

But help did not come. He fell silent again and this time heard a quiet stream and realized where the exit was. The echo neither helped nor hindered. It only returned his own voice to him.

Moral: The world often responds to us with the same tone and content as our own words and actions. If you shout with resentment, resentment will return to you. If you speak with peace, then peace will respond to you in kind. To change the answer, first change your question.

4. The Parable of the Two Gardens

Two brothers inherited a garden each. The first brother said: "Everything must be perfect." He removed all the weeds, planted only roses, and measured the length of the stems with a ruler every week. His garden was beautiful but lifeless: no birds sang, and no bees buzzed.
The second brother said: "A garden is life." He also tended to the garden: he weeded but left a corner with "weeds" - clover and dandelions for the bees; he planted roses but also berry bushes for the birds. His garden teemed with life and was no less beautiful.

One day, a drought destroyed many plants. The first brother's garden perished because his delicate roses could not withstand the trial. The second brother's garden endured because the diversity of life made it more resilient.

Moral: The prohibition of zulm (tyranny) extends to nature and relationships. Perfection achieved through total control and suppression of everything "imperfect" is fragile and dead. True strength and beauty lie in diversity, flexibility, and respect for the natural course of things.